Summary
Russia loses 30,000 working-age citizens annually to HIV, with 1.7 million total infections and nearly 500,000 deaths to date.
The epidemic strains the economy as treatment costs reach $670 million annually, compounded by shortages of antiretroviral drugs and gaps in early testing.
Heterosexual transmission now dominates, though marginalized groups like drug users, sex workers, and gay men remain disproportionately affected.
Reduced funding for HIV testing and inconsistent treatment availability hinder efforts to curb the epidemic, posing critical public health and economic challenges for Russia.
Caring and prioritizing may be different. Having concrete numbers can enable decision makers to convince others.
Something being the right thing to do is not a convincing argument.
I think you just described the sad thing perfectly.